1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates generally to wound dressings, and in particular to a wound dressing including an assembly or tow of continuous long fibers for receiving and retaining wound fluids in the treatment of acute and chronic wounds.
2. Background of Related Art
Wound dressings are generally placed over a wound to protect and promote healing of the wound. In the case of exuding wounds, such as pressure sores, ulcers and burns, it is customary to provide a dressing having a packing or filler material for receiving, retaining or conveying the wound exudate as it is produced. Exudates may be conveyed from the wound bed, at least in part, due to wicking characteristics of the wound filler. Thus, the wound filler promotes healing by removing potentially harmful bacteria from the wound bed, and also prevents damage to the surrounding skin that can be caused by an excessively moist environment.
The dressing filler may capture the excess exudates for subsequent removal, e.g., when the dressing is replaced with a new dressing. Some materials, such as cotton, tend to shed fibers or fibrils (e.g., very short or irregular fibers jutting out from the main fiber structure) into the wound. These fibers may tend to remain in the wound when the dressing is changed. Removing these stray fibers can be a labor intensive procedure that may further damage the wound, and neglecting to remove these stray fibers may cause irritation and otherwise inhibit natural healing of the wound.
One technique that may utilize a dressing with an absorbent filler is known as negative wound pressure therapy (NWPT). The absorbent material may be positioned in a reservoir over the wound where a negative pressure may be maintained. The reservoir subjects the wound to a sub-atmospheric pressure to effectively draw wound fluid, including liquid exudates, from the wound without the continuous use of a vacuum pump. Hence, vacuum pressure may be applied once, or in varying intervals depending on the nature and severity of the wound. This technique has been found to promote blood flow to the area, stimulate the formation of granulation tissue and encourage the migration of healthy tissue over the wound. An NWPT apparatus may also serve to draw exudates from the absorbent material out of the dressing without requiring that the entire dressing be changed. When an NWPT procedure is complete, however, the absorbent material must be removed and is thus subject to the difficulties that may be caused by stray fibers. Accordingly, all absorbent filler suitable for use in wound dressings including those wound dressings adapted for use in advanced wound therapy procedures such as NWPT would be helpful.